Rose Amongst the Thorns
by AsSsis
Summary: Amaya is different... Given a second chance at life after death. Closed off and difficult to read – who will get her to finally open up? And when the men start to unravel when she is around, what will happen next? Who will she choose? M/F Only over 18's please
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**

Thank you for deciding to read my FanFic :)

This is actually a story I started writing in 2005, when I was still in high school. But I never finished it. So I decided to resurrect it! Chapters 6 onwards I wrote recently, so hopefully my writing style has not changed a lot.

Please review! Your likes, ideas and just encouragement are appreciated!

Thanks

X

**Rose amongst the thorns**

_Chapter One_

Her name is Amaya. Born a demon, raised in captivity, alone all her life. Until, finally, she had escaped the torturous bonds of her lifetime prison. It wasn't at all easy, but after thorough research and planning she had done it.

She was now walking through the dense overgrowth that surrounded the institute. She knew she had to keep a clear head, for they would be looking for her when she doesn't arrive at her afternoon schooling. The plan with her, as with many other female demons at the institute, was to be educated and trained to be a domestic worker for whoever is willing to pay the hefty price. Sure, it doesn't sound that bad, but imagine having to please your _owner _in every way he or she chose.

She had always thought the institute was a boarding school, for that's what they were told, but she soon learned different. Firstly, students were kept in cells. They were never allowed to speak to one another, and they spent their life pleasing their tutors. All Amaya's tutors were extremely pleased with her.

Secondly, there were no parents. Amaya had once made herself believe that it was a place to seek inner serene, for they meditated allot as well. And they lived according to bells. One bell for dinnertime, two for meditating, three for bathing, four for daily studies, five for physical training, six for daily chores and seven for bedtime or rousing.

Amaya had the trust of many tutors, thus she had allot of advantages. She was allowed in the library. She was allowed her own shower stall and also an extra hour before she had to retire to bed. And it was in one of these hours that she had discovered the true theme behind the institute.

She was in the library, it was dark outside and the only thing illuminating her surroundings was the computer screen. She was busy researching a certain aspect of biology chemistry she didn't fully understand. The undoubtedly famous pop-up flashed on her screen, and it promised a great spring break for student. It was then that the doubt started to flourish, for she read about these humans that live freely and wonderfully in the outside world.

The doubt and mistrust in the institute grew, and she typed in the institute's name and was soon reading all about the place she had inhabited for the pass eighteen years. There, on the webpage, it told her that all pupils were orphans or unwanted babes handed over to them. It said that they were trained to be excellent workers, from housekeepers to gardeners to courtesans. The rank you got in the domestic rubric depends on how high your rank will be when you're sold.

It was then that her intense disliking in her lifestyle flourished, and it was then that she started planning her departure. She needed to get away from the modernized slave-labour institute.

And now she was here, in the woods, the morning air still cool against her skin. She was starved and tired, and she felt something resembling hate towards the institute surface, but she quickly closed her eyes and tried to reach her centre and find peace. Violence and hate solves very little, she reminded herself.

The scent of a nearby rabbit teased her senses as many other edible things have during the night had. She ignored it and wandered on, hoping to find the portal that she knew, according to theory, was here.

She sniffed the air again and walked in the direction of a nearby bush. It had to be behind the bush, it just had to be. And it was. Relief washed over her and she didn't hesitate a second before she stepped into the black hole, better knows as a portal.

It was amazing, she was falling down the abyss, free and quite independent – things she had never felt before. And then the feeling ended as she somehow knew that the blackness was coming to an end, and her happy feelings were replaced by her feeling nauseated.

She turned her head to the side, and was shocked to see her katana floating next to her face. With a nervous chuckle she took the katana by the handle and closed her eyes for the inevitable fall at the end of the portal. She only brought the katana with in hope to scare off possible danger. She didn't really know how to use it.

She could see light through her closed lids as she fell, her hair freely waving about her face, and she laughed with merriment. She opened her eyes just in time to see herself only a few meters above the ground, and she prepared to fall onto her feet.

She landed with a thud, braced on her hunches by the impact. Her head was bent with her chin resting against her chest, and she didn't know if she should look up. She was smiling and she urged herself to lift her head slowly.

"What the…" interrupted her slow progress and Amaya quickly lifted her head to see a shirtless fire demon glaring at her with a grimace. A seemingly useless katana was loosely held in his right hand. She then stared at his sweat- and grime-covered chest, for she had never seen anyone else's, only her own bare chest.

"Who's that?" was yelled from a safe distance behind her. Amaya quickly realised that danger was underway, so she jumped up and held up her katana in what she hoped was a fighting stance. She cursed herself for letting her guard down and sensed around her…a human was standing at her side her, and the demon that had called from a distance was standing far behind her.

She started to make a slow three-hundred-and-sixty degree circuit. The human was also bare-chested and covered with dirt, but it seemed his jelled back hair was unaffected. The other demon was as neat as a pin, wearing clean clothes without a single trace of wrinkles or dirt. His mass of red hair was freely lifted by the light breeze. He started making slow progressing in her direction.

Her eyes were large and attentive as she stepped backward so that there was one on either side of her and one in front of her. She was baffled about what to do, but she knew she had to fond out their intentions.

"Friend or foe?" she called to the man with red hair. He stared at her in awe, but soon snapped out of shocked state. A small smile coloured his lips, and she didn't know why. The black-jelled-hair muttered something about her use of words, and she couldn't figure out what was wrong with them.

"That depends," the man with the red hair said.

Amaya focused on him, figuring him the leader, but she also made sure to keep the other two men at a safe distance. "On what?"

"Who sent you," the man answered calmly and took another step forward. Amaya immediately resumed her fighting stance with more intent, hoping the man would stop before he forced her to do something.

He held up his hands innocently and smiled at her like one would at a five-year-old. "We're not going to hurt you," he told her calmly.

Amaya glanced at the fire demon, he scared her, honestly. "Then drop your weapon," she told him. His eyes narrowed on her and he gripped his katana tighter, lifting it in a warning.

"Drop _your_ weapon," redhead told her.

Amaya set her jaw and still glared at the fire fiend. This meant they were foe. Or, the voice known as her conscience quipped, they think _you're_ foe. Amaya contemplated the idea of dropping her weapon, for she wouldn't be completely helpless with her mind-warp skill. She turned her attention back to the redhead.

"Ningenkai," she told him. Maybe they would let her go if she seemed so harmless to want to go to the human world. The redhead frowned at her.

"What's your business in Ningenkai?"

Amaya knew that his suspicion would be set aflame is she told him that it was nothing, which it was. She didn't have the faintest idea on what to do when she actually reached the human world. She had hoped to go study, but that seemed useless now.

"Hn," said the short fire demon, almost in agreement. She glared at him, and he smirked at her. Amaya's eyes widened and she realized that she wasn't as skilled as she thought herself to be, because she couldn't even remember to keep simple mind barriers in place.

"_What's your business in Ningenkai?_" the black-jelled hair demanded. She looked at him with an arched brow. "If you don't tell us, we'll force it out you!" he threatened. Obviously they were some kind of protectors of Ningens?

Amaya held his angry gaze for a few seconds and then glanced at the redhead and fire demon. She thought of a quick escape route, and set it into action by throwing her katana on the ground before her and holding her hands up in a surrendering manner. "My name's Amaya," she told them.

The black-haired one immediately moved to the redhead's side, making her plan much easier for her, but the fire demon stayed where he was. Oh, well, she figured she handle him last.

Amaya's hands in their innocent gesture changed when she pressed her palms slightly higher and said, "Hey," to get their attention. Both of them looked at her and Amaya easily kept them prisoner with her eyes. She firstly deformed the memory of her in them and then ordered them to sleep. They nodded their head simultaneously and fell to the ground.

She was pretty pleased with herself but when she turned to do the same with the fire demon, she was unable for there was a sharp katana imprisoning her to the spot. She gasped and, out of reflex, she held her hand above the katana and jerked her hand, sending the katana flying away and bouncing as it landed on the dirt surface.

Amaya started to gurgle. In her lapse of stupidity, she had slit her own damn throat with the katana. She coughed and chocked on her own blood as she started to fall to the ground. She futilely clasped her hands over her throat to stop the bleeding, but to no avail. She realized she was on her knees, and she still fell forward, weakly falling to the ground. She was then knocked over onto her back. The red orbs she stared into seemed to be her gateway to hell.

The demon yelled something to the other men, and she knew they would remember everything again, for she was dying. Really dying. The three of them hovered above her and stared at her. The black-haired one looked disorientated, the redhead looked tired and hapless and the fire demon's lips were pressed together and his eyes unwavering.

The pain gradually started to leave her body and she realized that she was going to be okay, for she was still there, with them. She started to get up and did so without any difficulty. She was just shocked to feel no emotions at all, but when she felt her neck, she could feel the gash there like a second mouth.

She gasped, or tried to, when she saw dried blood on her hands, and when she looked at the ground, she saw two pairs of her feet. Her gaze turned to the body and she almost fainted when she saw it was hers.

Unexceptional brown hair was gleaming with fresh blood; brown, sightless eyes were staring up at nothing. She looked from that body to the one she was occupying presently numerous times and realized she was dead and in a spirit form. But she also saw that the three men could see her. She tried to speak, but because of her massacred neck it was impossible. How could they see her?

The redhead seemed to be recovering, "We must take her to Koenma," he said calmly.

Just after his words, a girl on an oar popped out of nowhere. She had blue hair and was smiling cheerily when she saw the people. Her smile vanished as she realized that there was something wrong. And it seemed as if someone else was forcing her face in Amaya's direction. She gasped, her small hand covering her mouth, and she gagged.

The black-jelled hair man quickly went to her assistance and hugged her soothingly. He spoke to her softly, and the girl nodded. She walked over to Amaya and reached out to touch her, but her hand moved right through. She gasped and pulled her hand away as if it had been shocked. "I can't touch her! I'm a soul gatherer and I can't touch a dead person!" she screamed, almost sad about this discovery. Black-jelled came to the rescue.

The redhead came to her. "My name is Kurama," the redhead said, "Come with us," he held his hand out, and when Amaya moved towards him, climbing over her own body, she felt like she was walking on air. And when she wanted to place her hand in his, it went right through. She tried again and again and it seemed impossible for her to touch him. It should have irritated her, but it didn't.

"Botan?" he asked, not looking away from Amaya's bloodied hands.

She looked skittish and her body was sent into convulsion of shivers when Amaya looked at her. "We must take her to Koenma," Botan echoed Kurama's earlier words.

"Someone needs to take the body," black-haired man said.

Everybody was quiet.

After a while the fire demon grumbled something and picked up the body, and then he was gone in a flash.

They then told Amaya to see if she could get onto the oar. She could, and then they were off to wherever. Amaya was too shocked to be hysterical or angry, or even sad.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rose amongst the thorns**

_Chapter Two_

It took about a minute to reach their intended destination – a mansion enclosed by a forest and a lake. Much like the institution.

Amaya clear her head of such thoughts, she was, in fact, dead. And it amazed her with what superior calmness she accepted this. Botan seem to jump off the oar as soon as it came to a halt, and she quickly made her way to a door they had stopped in front. Amaya figured she didn't like the markings on her, because she realized none of the others had them.

She got the markings on her face when she was five, and she lost her childbearing gift when she was seven. After that she got numerous other markings for her devotion and her numerous successes.

She waited calmly with her hands clasped in front of her as the girl explain in stutters who and what the 'um, girl' behind her was. The ogre had listened and stupidly shifted his gaze from one person to Amaya, and then another person and back to Amaya. He then left, slamming the door shut in Botan's face.

Amaya didn't feel anger, annoyance or fear, and she concluded that this was how inner serene was suppose to feel like. She listened to Kurama and the others' speculation about why she didn't retrieve her normal form after death, and black-jelled concluded that it was the same thing that had happened to him. But he added that he saved someone's life, and that she was going to possibly end theirs, so he still didn't understand.

When the ogre returned, he beckoned them in like a four-year-old would. She didn't followed Botan, so black-jelled and fire fiend walked in, but Kurama was the one to urge her inside. She followed them, and she wasn't surprised to see a toddler behind a desk. If what happened to her after death was possible, she would believe it if someone told her that disco still lived. _Wait, where does that comparison come from?_ She didn't even know what disco was, except that it was a certain style.

The toddler looked irritated at black-jelled, frowned at fire fiend, and he screamed and threw the stack of papers, which were in his hands, about when he saw Amaya. Paper rained over him and his pacifier fell onto his desk and drool sloshed onto some papers. Amaya didn't like the sound, but her body couldn't shiver.

"What…what in the–" his squeaky voice bellowed as he stood up in his chair, probably wanting more authority, but the pillow which she suspected usually gave him more leverage betrayed him and slipped out from beneath his feet. He seemed unaffected and stood up again to look at her, wide-eyed and amazed.

Kurama briefly gave him an explanation, and it seemed his brain took it up, but still took a while to process it. Black-jelled had taken one seat in front of Koenma and Botan the other.

"Where did you get all of those scars?" the toddler asked. She glanced at Kurama and could see he was practically dumbstruck with the little guy's bluntness, but she couldn't answer even if she wanted to.

"Hey, pacifier-breath, if you haven't noticed, she had a minor malfunction in the neck area," black-jelled said sarcastically, sinking into the chair in a slouchy position. They were never allowed to be slouchy at the institute. She remained unaffected, where she usually would have castrated a person when speaking so bluntly and sarcastically with or about her.

Koenma glared at his team leader, "Thank you, Yusuke. Now that we have that cleared up," he said and cleared his throat, "Where's her body?"

"Hiei took it to the morgue," Kurama answered.

Koenma took a deep breath and sank back into his chair. Only above his head could be seen, and Amaya would have laughed if she could have. The toddler asked some questions that Kurama had already answered, but answered again nonetheless. Amaya did try to listen, but it seemed too futile when everything was so clear and good around her. Everything made sense.

She looked to the one end of the room, and discovered that the entire wall had racks stacked up with books. She mindlessly walked over to the books and read the titles, but none really interested her. 'How to be the Bigger Man; How to claim your co-worker's respect; Lost father, lost child.' And more self-help books she thought were silly, but she didn't even unknowingly judge the Koenma-character, for she accepted that that was what he was like.

"Amaya?"

She turned around and faced…nothing. She looked down and saw the toddler looking strangely at her. She knew that deep-down he was afraid of her. She never thought that the markings on her were so repulsive.

"Amaya, we're going to the morgue, to get you a…body. Do you understand, Amaya?" he asked. She idly wondered why he was constantly repeating her name. "Amaya?" There he goes again.

She looked at Kurama, and he smiled. He was probably the only person who did that without grimacing. She wanted to work the muscles in her face and smile at him too, but those muscles seemed dead - duh. She nodded her head, and followed the small steps the toddler took.

They walked through many hallways she had only gotten a glimpse of when they flew on the oar. They soon reached a white door deep within the mansion, and far, far away from any real human – demon? – activities. It was awful without her powers; she felt incomplete without it. Strange: miss the powers, screw the body!

They walked into what seemed to be reception area, and a demon with think, black-rimmed classes and a white coat stood behind the counter. His skin was as pale as a recently washed white sheet. He didn't scream, gasp _or_ pull out his hair when he saw Amaya. She guessed he was use to seeing the dead at their worst. He rumbled through some papers and clipped certain ones onto a clipboard.

"Yes, Koenma-sir, what can I do for you?" he asked, stepping out from behind the counter with a chart in his hand.

"I came to see the…this girl's body."

"Please follow me," he told Koenma, and giving a stern glare to the rest, "You can observe through the glass," he told them and started walking towards an unmarked door.

He apparently knew why Koenma had come, because the clipboard contained all the information of her body's autopsy. "Already done with the body?" Koenma asked, surprised. Koenma climbed up a step-ladder and stood on it.

"Yes, Koenma-sir. There was only this body and then two more that came in today. You know all the fun ones come in during the weekend." He laughed at his own joke and went to a microphone and put it on, "Can you guys here me?" he nodded his head once he got their confirmation from the other side of the glass.

He then pulled open a slab marked 'Amaya' and the date. He pulled a white sheet down to expose her body to her stomach. Koenma gasped.

He laid the clipboard onto her dead body and started putting on gloves. "Time of death: 0920 hours, Wednesday, 27 April 2005." He put on the other glove. "Cause of death: loss of blood, the result of a fatal wound to the neck by a sharp object. Katana, sword, or large kitchen knife." He picked up the clipboard and wrote something he probably only then noticed. He then looked at Koenma and continued calmly, "Age: Varying from sixteen to twenty human years." He moved to the front of the slab and hung the chart on it. He rubbed his hands together in a clear sign or anticipation.

Koenma had stared at her blemished body at first, but he seemed to have regained his composure since then.

"There are lots of old scars on the body," he said, tracing a zigzag pattern covering her entire right arm with his index finger. "Deliberate scarring, judging by the specific order." He seemed to want to point it out to Koenma, because he lifted the other arm, with the same patterns, for a clearer view.

Koenma clearly wanted to gag, but he held himself.

The man zigzagged his way up the arm again to the face. "Cuts above the eyebrows and around the eyes," he traced them as well. "Gives an Amazonian-warrior look." He moved to her breasts, "Except, of course, the Amazons usually cut off their left breast for handling a bow and arrow," he pointed out the scars and crosses around the nipple, "Hers were just marked.

"It is strange, though," he remarked suddenly (as if what he has seen isn't strange), "There were no scarring made on the back, only the front."

He snapped out of his informative personality, and went back inspecting the body, "A large gash here on the lower abandonment. Not part of the specific arrangement. The womb was removed, and none too subtly. Judging by the scar, a human wouldn't have survived."

Koenma gasped, and his employee seemed to know that he should give his employer time to recuperate. Amaya glanced at the observer's window and saw two shocked faces, an indifferent one, and an absolutely horrified one who disappeared as its owner ran away.

"Here," he said as he threw the sheet over the upper-half of the body, and lifted the sheet to expose her legs to mid-thing, "are also markings. The twirls go all around the legs and eventually feet, and even at the bottom of the feet." He stopped and appeared to be thinking. "Oh, yes!" he said and threw the sheet over her legs again, and exposed her upper-half again. He lifted the limp head and pulled the hair away, "Some strange diamond shapes on the nape and behind the ears," he informed him, "Some kind of possession mark, maybe a tribe or something."

He ran the autopsy through his mind again, and apparently pleased, he covered the body completely and secured it inside its compartment.

Koenma started to say something, but it came out a squeak. He cleared his throat and tried again, "Any…you know…I…" he couldn't say what he wanted to. "Sorry, I've only seen two dead bodies my entire life," he explained. His employee smiled and suggested.

"Shall I go look for a corresponding body?"

Koenma nodded his head, grateful that his staff knew what the hell they were supposed to do.

The man crossed his one arm across his waist and rested the other's elbow on it. He rested his chin in his gloved hand and tapped against his lip with gloved fingers. He observed Amaya for a long time, and then said, "Ah! 21-034. Yes, she'll be perfect!" he stormed over to another door and pulled out a slab. Koenma quickly turned away.

"Yes. Yes. Um, Amaya, go observe and see if it's alright," he instructed, and left the room. He went to join his team on the other side of the glass.

The man beckoned her over, and she obligatory followed. "Death: 25 April 2005. Cause: suspected accidental drowning. Age: varying from nineteen to twenty-three. No organ, other than the lungs, or other bodily malfunctions."

Amaya stared down at the pale girl. Even in death, her cheeks had a rosy glow in them. Maybe it was makeup? Her hair was wavy and a mixture of blonde colours. Her skin was flawless, and it looked like she had a womb.

_What the hell?_

Amaya looked at the man who smiled like an anxious salesclerk. She didn't know what to do, so she nodded. The man laughed merrily and rushed to behind a computer. Amaya glanced at the window, wanting to know what was happening, but the man quickly informed her.

"Come, come. Time to get you a body!"

Wait, did they _literally_ mean get her a body! Holt shit!

The man tried to grab her to move her, but laughed at his mistake when his hand went right trough her. He told her to go into a certain cubicle which shone with bright blue and yellow lights. Once inside, the door closed behind her and she developed a sudden case of claustrophobia.

The lights started to spin and spin around her, she could make out which way was her left. She felt her eyes pop back into her skull, and her body started to shake viciously, but it wouldn't stop. She wanted to scream, something was telling her to breathe, and at the same time she couldn't.

The lights ceased, but she was weak, she couldn't breath and her body was cold and ached. The door then opened, and she fell out, onto the hard, cold, white floor. She felt her eyes roll back into her skull again, and cursed the people who made her want breath again, only to make her unable to. At least this death wasn't as horrible as the previous one. It didn't hurt as bad. This was her last thought as the blackness started to engulf her, but then she felt something cold, but vital touch her lips.

She wanted to reach for it, but she couldn't reach. But the thing against her lips, gradually, came on its own accord. It sent a gush of breath through the unusable windpipe. The coldness left her and she mentally begged for it to come back, but she couldn't. Instead, she felt an awkward pressure below her breast. Then another, and soon another.

The fluid that blocked her from breathing rose up from her chest and pooled in her mouth. She opened it to scream, and this time she could. She coughed water out over her face and someone pressed their arm in beneath her shoulders to lift her upright.

The familiar cold hands clad in gloves dried water from her cheeks, chin and throat. She felt a blanket being thrown over her naked body as the person murmured what she supposed was soothing words. Over her gasping she heard a door being shoved open roughly, making it hit the wall, and the group of familiar people soon filed in after one another. First the redhead, then the black-jelled, then Koenma…and she passed out before she could see more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rose amongst the thorns**

_Chapter Two_

It took about a minute to reach their intended destination – a mansion enclosed by a forest and a lake. Much like the institution.

Amaya clear her head of such thoughts, she was, in fact, dead. And it amazed her with what superior calmness she accepted this. Botan seem to jump off the oar as soon as it came to a halt, and she quickly made her way to a door they had stopped in front. Amaya figured she didn't like the markings on her, because she realized none of the others had them.

She got the markings on her face when she was five, and she lost her childbearing gift when she was seven. After that she got numerous other markings for her devotion and her numerous successes.

She waited calmly with her hands clasped in front of her as the girl explain in stutters who and what the 'um, girl' behind her was. The ogre had listened and stupidly shifted his gaze from one person to Amaya, and then another person and back to Amaya. He then left, slamming the door shut in Botan's face.

Amaya didn't feel anger, annoyance or fear, and she concluded that this was how inner serene was suppose to feel like. She listened to Kurama and the others' speculation about why she didn't retrieve her normal form after death, and black-jelled concluded that it was the same thing that had happened to him. But he added that he saved someone's life, and that she was going to possibly end theirs, so he still didn't understand.

When the ogre returned, he beckoned them in like a four-year-old would. She didn't followed Botan, so black-jelled and fire fiend walked in, but Kurama was the one to urge her inside. She followed them, and she wasn't surprised to see a toddler behind a desk. If what happened to her after death was possible, she would believe it if someone told her that disco still lived. _Wait, where does that comparison come from?_ She didn't even know what disco was, except that it was a certain style.

The toddler looked irritated at black-jelled, frowned at fire fiend, and he screamed and threw the stack of papers, which were in his hands, about when he saw Amaya. Paper rained over him and his pacifier fell onto his desk and drool sloshed onto some papers. Amaya didn't like the sound, but her body couldn't shiver.

"What…what in the–" his squeaky voice bellowed as he stood up in his chair, probably wanting more authority, but the pillow which she suspected usually gave him more leverage betrayed him and slipped out from beneath his feet. He seemed unaffected and stood up again to look at her, wide-eyed and amazed.

Kurama briefly gave him an explanation, and it seemed his brain took it up, but still took a while to process it. Black-jelled had taken one seat in front of Koenma and Botan the other.

"Where did you get all of those scars?" the toddler asked. She glanced at Kurama and could see he was practically dumbstruck with the little guy's bluntness, but she couldn't answer even if she wanted to.

"Hey, pacifier-breath, if you haven't noticed, she had a minor malfunction in the neck area," black-jelled said sarcastically, sinking into the chair in a slouchy position. They were never allowed to be slouchy at the institute. She remained unaffected, where she usually would have castrated a person when speaking so bluntly and sarcastically with or about her.

Koenma glared at his team leader, "Thank you, Yusuke. Now that we have that cleared up," he said and cleared his throat, "Where's her body?"

"Hiei took it to the morgue," Kurama answered.

Koenma took a deep breath and sank back into his chair. Only above his head could be seen, and Amaya would have laughed if she could have. The toddler asked some questions that Kurama had already answered, but answered again nonetheless. Amaya did try to listen, but it seemed too futile when everything was so clear and good around her. Everything made sense.

She looked to the one end of the room, and discovered that the entire wall had racks stacked up with books. She mindlessly walked over to the books and read the titles, but none really interested her. 'How to be the Bigger Man; How to claim your co-worker's respect; Lost father, lost child.' And more self-help books she thought were silly, but she didn't even unknowingly judge the Koenma-character, for she accepted that that was what he was like.

"Amaya?"

She turned around and faced…nothing. She looked down and saw the toddler looking strangely at her. She knew that deep-down he was afraid of her. She never thought that the markings on her were so repulsive.

"Amaya, we're going to the morgue, to get you a…body. Do you understand, Amaya?" he asked. She idly wondered why he was constantly repeating her name. "Amaya?" There he goes again.

She looked at Kurama, and he smiled. He was probably the only person who did that without grimacing. She wanted to work the muscles in her face and smile at him too, but those muscles seemed dead - duh. She nodded her head, and followed the small steps the toddler took.

They walked through many hallways she had only gotten a glimpse of when they flew on the oar. They soon reached a white door deep within the mansion, and far, far away from any real human – demon? – activities. It was awful without her powers; she felt incomplete without it. Strange: miss the powers, screw the body!

They walked into what seemed to be reception area, and a demon with think, black-rimmed classes and a white coat stood behind the counter. His skin was as pale as a recently washed white sheet. He didn't scream, gasp _or_ pull out his hair when he saw Amaya. She guessed he was use to seeing the dead at their worst. He rumbled through some papers and clipped certain ones onto a clipboard.

"Yes, Koenma-sir, what can I do for you?" he asked, stepping out from behind the counter with a chart in his hand.

"I came to see the…this girl's body."

"Please follow me," he told Koenma, and giving a stern glare to the rest, "You can observe through the glass," he told them and started walking towards an unmarked door.

He apparently knew why Koenma had come, because the clipboard contained all the information of her body's autopsy. "Already done with the body?" Koenma asked, surprised. Koenma climbed up a step-ladder and stood on it.

"Yes, Koenma-sir. There was only this body and then two more that came in today. You know all the fun ones come in during the weekend." He laughed at his own joke and went to a microphone and put it on, "Can you guys here me?" he nodded his head once he got their confirmation from the other side of the glass.

He then pulled open a slab marked 'Amaya' and the date. He pulled a white sheet down to expose her body to her stomach. Koenma gasped.

He laid the clipboard onto her dead body and started putting on gloves. "Time of death: 0920 hours, Wednesday, 27 April 2005." He put on the other glove. "Cause of death: loss of blood, the result of a fatal wound to the neck by a sharp object. Katana, sword, or large kitchen knife." He picked up the clipboard and wrote something he probably only then noticed. He then looked at Koenma and continued calmly, "Age: Varying from sixteen to twenty human years." He moved to the front of the slab and hung the chart on it. He rubbed his hands together in a clear sign or anticipation.

Koenma had stared at her blemished body at first, but he seemed to have regained his composure since then.

"There are lots of old scars on the body," he said, tracing a zigzag pattern covering her entire right arm with his index finger. "Deliberate scarring, judging by the specific order." He seemed to want to point it out to Koenma, because he lifted the other arm, with the same patterns, for a clearer view.

Koenma clearly wanted to gag, but he held himself.

The man zigzagged his way up the arm again to the face. "Cuts above the eyebrows and around the eyes," he traced them as well. "Gives an Amazonian-warrior look." He moved to her breasts, "Except, of course, the Amazons usually cut off their left breast for handling a bow and arrow," he pointed out the scars and crosses around the nipple, "Hers were just marked.

"It is strange, though," he remarked suddenly (as if what he has seen isn't strange), "There were no scarring made on the back, only the front."

He snapped out of his informative personality, and went back inspecting the body, "A large gash here on the lower abandonment. Not part of the specific arrangement. The womb was removed, and none too subtly. Judging by the scar, a human wouldn't have survived."

Koenma gasped, and his employee seemed to know that he should give his employer time to recuperate. Amaya glanced at the observer's window and saw two shocked faces, an indifferent one, and an absolutely horrified one who disappeared as its owner ran away.

"Here," he said as he threw the sheet over the upper-half of the body, and lifted the sheet to expose her legs to mid-thing, "are also markings. The twirls go all around the legs and eventually feet, and even at the bottom of the feet." He stopped and appeared to be thinking. "Oh, yes!" he said and threw the sheet over her legs again, and exposed her upper-half again. He lifted the limp head and pulled the hair away, "Some strange diamond shapes on the nape and behind the ears," he informed him, "Some kind of possession mark, maybe a tribe or something."

He ran the autopsy through his mind again, and apparently pleased, he covered the body completely and secured it inside its compartment.

Koenma started to say something, but it came out a squeak. He cleared his throat and tried again, "Any…you know…I…" he couldn't say what he wanted to. "Sorry, I've only seen two dead bodies my entire life," he explained. His employee smiled and suggested.

"Shall I go look for a corresponding body?"

Koenma nodded his head, grateful that his staff knew what the hell they were supposed to do.

The man crossed his one arm across his waist and rested the other's elbow on it. He rested his chin in his gloved hand and tapped against his lip with gloved fingers. He observed Amaya for a long time, and then said, "Ah! 21-034. Yes, she'll be perfect!" he stormed over to another door and pulled out a slab. Koenma quickly turned away.

"Yes. Yes. Um, Amaya, go observe and see if it's alright," he instructed, and left the room. He went to join his team on the other side of the glass.

The man beckoned her over, and she obligatory followed. "Death: 25 April 2005. Cause: suspected accidental drowning. Age: varying from nineteen to twenty-three. No organ, other than the lungs, or other bodily malfunctions."

Amaya stared down at the pale girl. Even in death, her cheeks had a rosy glow in them. Maybe it was makeup? Her hair was wavy and a mixture of blonde colours. Her skin was flawless, and it looked like she had a womb.

_What the hell?_

Amaya looked at the man who smiled like an anxious salesclerk. She didn't know what to do, so she nodded. The man laughed merrily and rushed to behind a computer. Amaya glanced at the window, wanting to know what was happening, but the man quickly informed her.

"Come, come. Time to get you a body!"

Wait, did they _literally_ mean get her a body! Holt shit!

The man tried to grab her to move her, but laughed at his mistake when his hand went right trough her. He told her to go into a certain cubicle which shone with bright blue and yellow lights. Once inside, the door closed behind her and she developed a sudden case of claustrophobia.

The lights started to spin and spin around her, she could make out which way was her left. She felt her eyes pop back into her skull, and her body started to shake viciously, but it wouldn't stop. She wanted to scream, something was telling her to breathe, and at the same time she couldn't.

The lights ceased, but she was weak, she couldn't breath and her body was cold and ached. The door then opened, and she fell out, onto the hard, cold, white floor. She felt her eyes roll back into her skull again, and cursed the people who made her want breath again, only to make her unable to. At least this death wasn't as horrible as the previous one. It didn't hurt as bad. This was her last thought as the blackness started to engulf her, but then she felt something cold, but vital touch her lips.

She wanted to reach for it, but she couldn't reach. But the thing against her lips, gradually, came on its own accord. It sent a gush of breath through the unusable windpipe. The coldness left her and she mentally begged for it to come back, but she couldn't. Instead, she felt an awkward pressure below her breast. Then another, and soon another.

The fluid that blocked her from breathing rose up from her chest and pooled in her mouth. She opened it to scream, and this time she could. She coughed water out over her face and someone pressed their arm in beneath her shoulders to lift her upright.

The familiar cold hands clad in gloves dried water from her cheeks, chin and throat. She felt a blanket being thrown over her naked body as the person murmured what she supposed was soothing words. Over her gasping she heard a door being shoved open roughly, making it hit the wall, and the group of familiar people soon filed in after one another. First the redhead, then the black-jelled, then Koenma…and she passed out before she could see more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rose amongst the thorns**

_Chapter Three_

She was alone again. She knew that because they failed her, they couldn't bring her back to life. How can she be alive if all she could do was float around in the black nothingness where her only companion is her conscience? This was her punishment, her personal hell.

Kurama wiped away the cold sweat from her neck and forehead with a warm wash cloth. Daniel, the guy from the morgue, said that the pain she is going through as she lies there is intolerable. That was because the human body had to adapt to her demon mind and instincts. A demon's body temperature is higher than the average human's, thus she is probably suffering from hypothermia. The fact that the human had drowned didn't do her any justice either.

He pulled the blanket up to her chin and tucked the light brown hair behind her ear. The body hadn't stayed exactly the same. The hair colour changed, and the skin colour became darker – because there was actually life in the body – and Daniel said that her eye colour had also changed. He said it used to be a dark brown, almost black, shade, but now it was as light blue as the Caribbean ocean water. He said it made her pupils look a shade lighter, as well.

Kurama's stomach gave a whining growl. He didn't get much time to eat the pass three days, and he figured he might as well sooth his stomach – who had a mind of its own, it seemed – and get some food. He reluctantly left Amaya's side and went down the corridor, down the stairs, through the living room and, finally, into the kitchen.

After retrieving some bread, butter and cheese, he started to make himself a sandwich. He figured he might as well make some tea, it helps when he has to meditate. He pondered thoughtfully as he waited for the water to boil.

Yusuke and Hiei went on a mission. Koenma actually ordered Kurama to stay to look after Amaya, and Kurama didn't have any objections. While Yukina was on her honeymoon with Kuwabara with little possibility of returning any time soon, he took full responsibility in looking after the team, and apparently innocent victims.

It seemed Amaya's bloodied, tattered and scarred soul and body had scared the bit-Jesus out of Botan, for she was barely able to look at Amaya (even in her new body) without grimacing. She very seldom came into the room, too. She would call from behind a closed door if she needed Kurama, or she would find the floor fascinating when the door was already open.

While looking after Amaya, Kurama was able to work on the new DNA structure of the human's evolving body. He has worked for B.E.C. for about four years, and was planning on getting that bonus at the end of the year. If he could prove that the humans were beginning to evolve, and prove how the body works differently, he'd basically be settled for life.

Kurama was starting to devour the second sandwich, but a loud scream interrupted him. The scream was hoarse and bloodcurdling. He dropped the sandwich and ran the marathon to the rooms. He stormed into Hiei's room – the one Amaya presently occupied, because Hiei never did – and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Amaya arching her back off the bed, the blankets having been banished to the floor, and her sweat-covered body twisting and stretching in the most awkward fashions.

Snapping out of his stupor, he immediately rushed to her side, trying to push her down onto the bed, but she got in her left hook and _he_ was banished to the floor, at least with a soft landing spot. He wasted no time in getting up and manhandling her down on the bed, saying soothing words that were too loud to really be soothing.

Her body quaked with convulsions that didn't seem to end, and she was crying. Her mouth was open but only a few hoarse whimpers made it pass her lips. He was startled to hear her speak, "It hurts…It hurts so bad…I'm going to throw up," and wasn't all that pleased with her words, but he was, nonetheless, grateful for the warning.

He immediately jumped off of her and reached for a bin nearby. He tucked the rim beneath her chin, just in case, as he helped her to sit up. He held her hair back and tried to be as soothing of a presence as one who got a new body would need.

She started throwing up; what, he didn't know, for she hadn't eaten and the body she is occupying was dead before. Proving his speculation, she only got some useless products out of her stomach, and mostly just gagged when nothing came out. He supposed it was better that the food came out. Who knew that the food wasn't rot in her stomach and could have killed her, again? The poor girl, she must be traumatized.

He then realized that the shaking of her shoulders weren't because of gagging any longer, but because she was sobbing. He immediately put the bin as far away as his arms could reach and wrapped his arms around her. She then began to wail with her use-to-be silent sobs, and he tried as hard as he could to soothe her. His soft murmurs and the gentle rocking motion seemed to do the trick, or maybe she didn't have anymore tears – she probably _was_ dehydrated.

Her body shook with a sob every now and again, and her breathing began to regulate. He reached for the cloth in the bowl of cooling water, squeezed out most of the water, and started cleaning her face. She turned her face away at the first contact, hiding her face in his chest, and he ceased his actions. He continued his rocking motion and soon she was asleep again.

* * *

Amaya wasn't oblivious to the pain anymore. Oh no, at first there was none, and then it hit her like stream of cold water, coursing over her body. The pain was like an electrical shockwave forcing her body rigid. The pain came from her stomach, and sent thin electrical fibrils in every direction of her body. It coursed to the roots of her hair, and it made her toes curl. It made her fist her hand and her teeth clatter.

She was trying to fight it, but in order to do that she'd have to fight herself. And, suddenly, there was something helping her. Or so she thought, but soon it was pressing down her aching muscles, hurting her even more. She then began to fight the fiend off, shoving and kicking all she could with her involuntarily rigid body.

She finally regained consciousness and saw a mass of blurry redness staining her vision, and she then ceased all her actions. She ceased _her_ intended actions, but her body still fought him, but soon he had her pinned down and he forced her body to relax.

She then felt the bile coming up from her stomach. She warned him, and he was holding her up and helping within no time. She wondered if she would ever be able to repay this man, and suddenly she was sad, and she couldn't stop the tears from coming.

The rest was all a blur, until she felt a lukewarm cloth against her cheek. It felt like sandpaper dipped in lava, and she quickly searched for comfort in the closest, hardest thing she could find. She was glad that the actions immediately ceased. And when she was back in the black abyss, it wasn't that bad, for she could actually sleep rather than having to think all the time.

When Amaya woke up this time she wasn't feeling nauseated or much pain. Her body was recovering and her muscles were stiff. She needed the bathroom. She opened her eyes to see that it was dark outside, and the only object giving the slightest light source was Kurama's screensaver displayed on the open laptop on his lap. He was fast asleep.

With effort, Amaya threw her legs over the side of the bed. She lifted a shaky hand to move the rebellious strand, which was so familiar yet so unknown to her, away from her face. It was oily, and like her body, dirty. Ignoring her legs' protests, she got up and headed towards the window. She opened the curtain and stared lovingly out at the lake's black water reflecting the crescent moon.

Not being able to hold her bladder for much longer, she glanced around the room for a bathroom. There was, unfortunately, only one door. She stepped through the door and started working her tired muscles. Luckily, she didn't have to open every door in the corridor for there was one door open, revealing a white-tiled wall and floor. She hastily made a retreat and closed the door behind her. She used the toilet and immediately started removing the simple white gown they had dressed her in. She didn't bother to turn on the hot water; she liked the cold soothing her aching body.

She climbed out of the shower and reached for a towel which was hanging on a hook nearby the shower. It was still clammy from its owner's use, but it was either that or walking around naked. She picked up the discarded white gown and rubbed the mirror clean.

She wasn't at all shocked when she saw the person in the mirror. Though it wasn't really her, there was still a striking resemblance. It could have been a close relative, like a sister or maybe a niece.

The hair was the colour it used to be, but would probably be lighter when dry. She didn't have the dead woman's rosy glow in the cheeks, but she did have the wavy hair. The hair was much longer than she was used to, almost reaching her waist. At the institute woman's hair was always cut to shoulder length.

And there were no markings on her.

She moved her index finger along her eyebrow and temple, but there were no sign of the scars that use to be there. She removed the towel to look at the rest of her body, and there were no markings on her breasts legs or feet, and there wasn't a horrendous scar on her stomach.

It felt strange looking at her body, but having the fleeting feeling that she was peeking at someone else. The new body was taller than the other one, she observed, longer limbs and more defined curves. Instead of having a well-muscled body with a boyish look, she now had a woman's waist and hips and thighs and chest… She frowned at the image the mirror provided and guessed a body is a body.

Accepting the body, she wrapped the towel around her again and headed for the door. Reaching out, she knocked her outstretched hand against the wood above the doorknob. She frowned, and realized that she opened the door out of reflex, but because of her taller body, her aim wasn't too accurate.

She then went back to the room and found Kurama still sleeping in the chair next to her bed. She smoothed his hair back and looked tenderly upon the face of her saviour. She then took the laptop off of his lap, and was intended to put it away, but the screensaver was removed and it showed a picture or a DNA cell she once glanced at. But this picture was different, for it showed new, different bonds, and the nitrogenous bonds weren't held together by hydrogen bonds, but something else.

Fascinated, she took the laptop back to the bed. She got under the covers and rested her back against the headboard as she began reading through his notes. Some were hard to decipher, because they were summed up in a manner he would understand. She felt a pang of guilt for reading all his research, but was overcome with curiosity and continued reading his material.

She read and reread the work over and over again, and with each passing moment the work became clearer and she began to understand it with a passion.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rose Among The Thorns**

_Chapter Five_

It was two days since Amaya had asked Koenma to go to Ningenkai, and he had agreed to assist her. But the previous day she could sense his doubt, because he didn't have the faintest idea how far her capabilities reach. She decided to give him a day to make up his mind, and that's why she was only heading to his office now. When she got to the office George wasn't there, so she decided to knock softly on the door.

She waited patiently and entered once permission was finally given. She smiled gently at Kurama and Yusuke who were gathered with Koenma, seated in the two chairs in front of his desk.

"Amaya!" Koenma greeted happily.

"Morning, Koenma-sama," she said and took quiet steps in-between the two chairs towards his desk and stood in front of it, "I was wondering if I may speak to you about…" she glanced at the detectives, "…about my leaving?"

"Why yes, of course," he said and folded his hands and rested his elbow on the table.

She heard Kurama getting up and turned to him. He offered her his chair while Yusuke continued slouching in his.

"Does this mean we can leave?" Yusuke mumbled and yawned quite openly. Amaya concentrated on crossing her one ankle behind the other and resting her hands on her lap while trying to stay as straight as possible.

"No, it was because of Amaya's leaving that I wanted the two of you here. You two…and Kuwabara…are the ones who often go to Ningenkai, so I wanted to work out a strategy whereby we can keep the three of you in close contact." Amaya understood that he didn't completely trust her; she wouldn't either if their places were reversed.

She felt Kurama's hands on the back of her chair as he spoke, "I rarely do much more than go to the B.E.C office," Kurama supplied.

"Yeah, I only go to our flat and sometimes to the shopping centres," Yusuke said. Amaya didn't like the idea of having to stay with Kurama and Yusuke in the human world, but if that's what she needed to do to gain her freedom, she would.

"Yes," Kurama laughed, "But I haven't been to my flat in quite a while." Amaya frowned slightly but then realized that they didn't live together. 'Our' in Yusuke-terms were probably for him and that sweet girl, Keiko.

"Amaya can stay in an apartment in one of your buildings. If not, we can relocate one of you."

"No way! Keiko and I like our flat!" he complained. "She can sleep on our couch or something, or stay with Kurama. Don't you have an extra bedroom?" Yusuke looked over Amaya's head at Kurama.

"Yes…" Kurama said, sounding very unsure. "But we have to consider Amaya's feelings towards living with complete strangers."

Yusuke's forehead wrinkled with a frown and he looked at Kurama, "We gave her a new body, I think that succeeds the barriers of strangers by far!"

"What Kurama means is that we…" Koenma didn't continue his sentence. That we can't trust her, Amaya thought tranquilly.

"I came to talk to you about my expertise, Koenma-sama," she told him softly, deciding to change the subject for their comfort. "I do not know what kind of job I will be able to obtain, thus I came to ask you if you could maybe link it to a suitable occupation."

Koenma looked baffled but smiled, relieved, at her. No doubt because she changed the subject. "Of course! One of us talks sense," he smiled at her in that manner he always had – like a father.

"Well, at the institution we were taught to cook and clean," she supplied. Nobody commented, and she continued, "We were schooled to serve?" she asked, glancing at Yusuke. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, and when she turned back to Koenma, he looked thoughtful as well. "I exceeded in my culinary skills and biology chemistry classes?" she shrugged lightly.

"Biology, you say?" Kurama asked from behind her. She could feel his breath disturbing her hair. She turned her head to look at him.

"Yes."

He smiled at her the polite smile he bestows on basically everyone and then looked at Koenma, "It sounds to me that she might be a pretty good lab assistant," Kurama told Koenma with a smile. Why he was smiling, Amaya didn't know. "'Schooled to serve'," he quoted her words, "And apparently some knowledge in what we study. Why, she's perfect for the job, Koenma!" he smiled at Koenma and Amaya flinched slightly when he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, I see what you mean," Koenma said with a thoughtful frown. A smile broke out on his face and he looked at Amaya. "You have no objections in working for Kurama?"

"No, Koenma-sama," she felt Kurama's hand rub down her arm and then retreat. She missed the strange sensation it gave.

"We'll continue talking about your living arrangements after Yusuke, Kurama and I am done with our meeting, Amaya," Koenma dismissed her politely. She nodded and bowed before she left the office and softly closed the door behind her.

She walked towards the living room but stopped dead in her tracks when she smelled food being cooked. The pass two days they had only lived off junk food and there was nothing in the mansion to make a decent meal with. She went into the kitchen and saw Keiko in front of the stove, stirring something in a pot. Amaya walked closed and saw it was noodles.

Keiko gasped and held her hand to her chest when she saw Amaya at her side. She pointed the utensil she was holding accusingly at Amaya but smiled at Amaya's guilty expression and went to sit at the counter.

Amaya inspected the food in the pots as Keiko sat at the counter and read what Amaya suspected was more homework. The only thing cooking was the noodles, and there were potatoes and tomatoes and other vegetables all over the counter next to the stove.

"Can I help you with the food, Keiko?" Amaya asked as she picked up a potato and tossed it in her hand. Keiko turned in her stool.

"No one here can _stand_ cooking! Well, except for Kurama, but he barely gets a chance to anymore. You _actually_ want to do this?" she asked, exasperated.

"I like cooking," Amaya smiled and rolled the potatoes towards the sink built into the counter. There were plastic bags all over the other end of the continuous counter full of food. She was exhilarated about the fact that she could finally _do_ something.

She was soon putting her culinary skills to work as Keiko endlessly complained about the work she had to learn only to fall silent once more as she studied.

"I can't believe they give us this! I mean, it's not like we're ever going to use it!" Keiko continued as Amaya threw the last bit of vegetables in the pot. She then reached for the bottled herbs and started throwing it into a sauce she was making.

"What do you find so hard about it, Keiko?" Amaya asked, contently putting lid over the pot and rubbing her hands down the front of the apron.

"Ugh! Just – everything!" Keiko complained as Amaya took a seat in the stool next to hers. She gently tugged the folder to her and Keiko examined her nails uninterestedly as Amaya read over the work. She didn't understand why Keiko found the work so hard – she did it at the age of twelve when she at the institute. Obviously these people worked according to different standards.

"What is the average age for a pupil to complete their…high school education?"

"Eighteen," Keiko supplied, holding her nails out on front of her for a clearer observation.

Amaya frowned as she realized something else. "But I thought you said that you are twenty." That got Keiko's attention back to her. Amaya hoped she didn't say anything to offend the poor girl.

"Well…" Keiko began, looking at the books and then back at Amaya. It wasn't shame, but hurt. That was even worse – she hurt her feelings. Sometimes she damned her blunt nature.

Keiko took a deep breath and began, "Well," she repeated, "When I started to date Yusuke I didn't know about the whole 'Spirit Detective' thing," she said, indicated the inverted commas with her fingers. "Anyway, some lame-ass demon kidnapped me and held me hostage in Makai for little shorter than a year," she said nonchalantly. "After they found me I then went to a shirk for about six months and took the other six off at a rehabilitation centre."

"Oh…" Amaya wanted to hit herself, "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. It just hasn't been brought up in such a long time! I'm fine, really." Amaya sensed her words were true and pushed the folder a bit closer to Keiko.

"The first thing you need to do when learning anything is clear your mind of all your troubles," Amaya began with a slight smile. Keiko visibly relaxed and smiled coolly at Amaya. "Here's how it goes…"

* * *

They were all seated around the table. Kurama's eyes were closed as he slowly chewed the food; Yusuke had a mouthful of food and his eyes were bulging as he tried to seize everything off his plate and into his mouth. Keiko took a little evaluating bite and her eyes widened and she smiled at Amaya.

"Wow! This is great, Amaya! I didn't know you could cook _this_ good!" Keiko complimented her and took a slightly bigger bite this time.

"This is superb! Absolutely delicious!" Kurama agreed.

Yusuke scooped another two mouthfuls onto his fork and tried to stuff it into his already blocked mouth. Amaya grimaced mentally.

"I'm glad you like it," Amaya gave her hostess smile she was so gingerly taught.

"Anyway," Yusuke said, "Koenma said you should stay with us or with Kurama," he stuffed food into his mouth and spoke, "I think you should go to– uph!" Yusuke's wind was suddenly knocked out of him.

"It would be an honour to have you stay with us, Amaya!" Keiko exclaimed happily.

Amaya smiled at her, "That would be great, thank you."

They cleared the food off the table and put the extra in the fridge – but that didn't stop Yusuke form demolishing it anyway.

"Okay, now…" Keiko tapped her finger against her chin and thought about what had to be done next, "Oh! You can go pack your things, Amaya, while I quickly put away my books away – Yusuke, leave the food alone! – and then we can go!"

Amaya glanced down at the clothes and then back at Keiko, "This is what I've got…" she said, frowning. And, truthfully, it wasn't even hers.

Keiko was frowning and then suddenly her eyes widened with shock. "Oh, can you help me with my books, please?" she asked politely. Amaya nodded and Keiko didn't say anything else.

A while later the four of them retreated to a funnily glowing room. Kurama said goodbye and said he would take her to the office as soon as her papers were finalized, and then pressed a code into a machine and then stepped through a portal that appeared. Yusuke did the same and the three of them stepped into it. When Amaya opened her eyes again, she was in a very, very messy apartment.


	6. Chapter 6

**Rose Among The Thorns**

_Chapter Six_

Amaya woke up with a start as a door was slammed shut. Her eyes popped open and she stupidly stared at the speaker in front of her face. She sighed and curled deeper within the blankets when she remembered she was on the fold-open-couch in Yusuke's and Keiko's living room. But, as usual, she wasn't able to fall asleep again. Maybe all those years at the institution were more of a curse than she suspected.

She threw the blankets off of her and immediately stood up. Amaya never believed that a place could be as filthy as this apartment. There were clothes and stuffed toys lying about. Empty take-away food containers covered the floor along with dust, dirt and papers.

Amaya started walking towards the kitchen, but suddenly stepped on something. A loud squeal made her lose her senses even further and she fell against the wall. Turning around, she saw the material face of a smiling frog staring up at her. _Great. _

Risking another step in the contaminated apartment, Amaya made her way to the kitchen. She was about to get the milk out of the fridge for her coffee but stopped when she saw a note with her name scribbled on it.

_AMAYA!_

_ At school and then going to work! Won't be home 'til tonight! There's some food in the fridge but I think the yoghurt is off!_

_Love, KEIKO!_

Then Yusuke added below it with handwriting so horrid it actually scared her:

_ Working late._

After finally deciphering Yusuke's handwriting, she pasted the note back onto the fridge – below a magnet containing a picture of a very fat cat – and got out the milk. By the time Amaya had cleared off the magazines of the chair she wanted to sit on, she felt disgusted and dirty. Was it really so hard to keep an apartment clean?

Sipping her coffee and glaring over the filthy apartment, she pondered what she was going to do for the rest of the day. Once her coffee was done and she went to the basin – which she couldn't see because of the masses of dirty dishes piled in and around it – she decided she might as well wash them.

It proved to be a compulsive thing. She first had to locate the dishwashing liquid and found it in the most obvious place, the cupboard beneath the basin, and started cleaning the dished, glasses, cups, knives and forks, spoons, utensils – everything. When she saw the now exposed counter, she remembered that she saw some soap in the cupboard, too.

The next thing she knew she was scrubbing and wiping and dusting and scraping everything clean. She started picking up all the things on the floor; she dusted off every piece of furniture. She even found a vacuum…under a pile of coats in a closet. She then started to suck every little piece of dirt she could find on the living room floor.

It seemed a lifetime later and she was finally able to see something resembling a carpet covering the floor. At least the carpet was a navy blue. Thank God for small miracles!

Amaya went into Keiko and Yusuke's bedroom and picked up all the discarded clothes and put it into a duffel bag she found in Yusuke's cupboard. She cleaned their bedroom and bathroom quickly and then started putting away all the cleaning utensils she used. And afterwards she felt like a pig that just rolled in dust, grime and mud.

She went to the bathroom to take the shower. When she got out her flesh was scrubbed red with her efforts for getting herself clean. After drying herself off she went into their bedroom and went to Yusuke's cupboard. She took out a tee and tried looking for pants that wouldn't show her butt if she wore it. The smallest pants still slightly fell off of her hips when she tried to walk. She pumped her stomach out to try and keep the pants there, but laughed at her silliness when the pants slipped down even further. She then took a belt from his cupboard and the problem was solved.

Amaya walked out of their apartment with a guilty flush on her face. She had gone through their nightstands to look for money to buy food, but found more than she bargained for. Walking out of the front entrance of the door, she turned left and tried to catch the scent of any food. She made it to two diners and decided to just ask someone for help.

That didn't help either. The girl with a neon green Mohawk chewed her bubblegum and stared at Amaya as if she was really, really dumb. And she felt really, really dumb. She thanked the girl and uneasily made her way down the street.

She was about to give up but luckily she saw a little shop at the end of a long street. She made her way over and went over the prices to see how much food she could buy.

Amaya easily found her way back to Yusuke's apartment and as soon as she packed away their food, she curled up on the couch and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

"No, she's a friend! We can't ask her to pay rent!"

"Of course we can! If she's going to eat, use our electricity and water then she _must_ pay. Nothing in this life is for free." Yusuke opened the front door and took a deep breath in order to get a coughing fit so that Keiko would leave it be. Nothing happened. And when he looked around he was stunned speechless.

"Wow!" Keiko said excitedly from behind him. She then stormed into the apartment and started picking things up she'd blamed him for losing. Yusuke saw a bundle lying on the bed and he made his way over there.

"The kitchen is so clean!" Keiko gasped and slammed close a cupboard, "And we have _food!_"

When Yusuke got there the breath was caught in his throat. She was stunning. Something about his shirt on her, ridden up to show her flat stomach, and his boxers peeking out from above the large pants was shockingly attractive to him. He shook his head and put the Chinese take-aways on the _clean_ counter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Rose Amongst The Thorns**

_Chapter Seven_

Amaya awoke with the strangest feeling of eyes looking right through her. She opened her eyes to the sight of Keiko and Yusuke looking at her with wide eyes. Her mind was foggy with sleep, and she realised that she was panting and covered in sweat.

"Are you okay, Amaya?" Keiko asked carefully, concern laced in her voice.

Amaya mumbled an incoherent response and started sitting up, throwing her legs over the side of the couch.

"You were, uh...screaming. Sounds like...you had a hectic dream," Yusuke said, and Amaya looked up to see his eyes dart in the opposite direction, avoiding eye contact.

"I am fine. Just in need of a shower." Amaya replied curtly. And with that she walked past the two concerned faces and into the bathroom. She did not know how to interact with them. Did not understand why they bestowed their sympathy upon her. Did not know how to make them understand that her nightmares were filled with horrid images of her past. No one would comprehend that, how could they? It was of no use divulging that information anyway.

She stripped of her clothes and turned on the hot water to get into the shower. Strangely, she noticed something interesting on the clothing that she was wearing. Blood. There was blood on the pants. She examined her body as to where the source of the blood could be. And she found it. Between her legs. She gasped, shocked. She turned off the taps, wrapped a towel around her body and peeked out the bathroom door.

"...Keiko?" she called hesitantly. After no response, she called again, more firmly. "Keiko!"

Keiko popped her head past the bedroom door, peering curiously at Amaya. "Yes?" she inquired.

"Help." With a start, Keiko came rushing to the bathroom, and Amaya let her in, closing the door firmly behind her.

"This body is malfunctioning." She has not yet quite come to terms with it being hers. "It's bleeding between my thighs."

Keiko's eyes widened and it took a moment to realise what Amaya just told her. Her eyes darted around the bathroom and saw the pants discarded on the floor. Relief washed over her and she looked Amaya sympathetically in the eyes.

"I believe that you have started your period...menstruation. I'm so sorry, Amaya, but I don't think you ever had it before, since...you're... You had a historectomy," she blurted out. "So you never had your period before." She statement sounded suspiciously like a question. Keiko moved towards the cabinet in the bathroom and pulled out a small, purple packet.

"These are tampons. You use them to, uh, prevent the bleeding. Well, to prevent it from getting onto your clothes and such. Okay, let me first start by explaining: a period is something that women gets once a month, it last about five days. It is a good thing. A very natural thing! I suppose congratulations are in order!" she giggled, but stopped abruptly when she got no response from Amaya, other than a deep frown.

"I do not understand. I will bleed once a month? To what avail?" she clutched the towel tighter around her body.

"Oh, Amaya, I'm sorry, I am going about this all the wrong way! It is a perfectly natural occurrence in the female body. Basically, your body requires a month to prepare itself for a baby. But if no baby is made, the walls of the uterus breaks down and you have your period. Then the whole process starts over again, until the next month. So we have these tampons, to promote cleanliness. You need to change them every couple of hours, or when needed. The box explains exactly how to insert them..." Keiko drifted off into her explanation and Amaya listened intently.

* * *

"What were you guys doing in there?" Yusuke asked as soon as Keiko stepped out of the bathroom. She rolled her eyes at him.

"None of your business! And we are going to the shops to get some clothes for Amaya, she can't be wearing your old gym clothes all the time!"

Yusuke swallowed audibly as Keiko breezed by, trying to ignore his body's response to the thought of Amaya in his clothes. This living arrangement was definitely not going to work.

* * *

Amaya had never been so overwhelmed and intrigued at the same time. The shopping centre was bustling and busy. There was a sea of people. Keiko attributed the masses due to the payday. People must be very excited to immediately dispel of their money as soon as they received it, apparently.

The expedition had been a great success. Well, at least that's what Keiko told her. She was carrying numerous bags with clothing items: everything from underwear to jeans and dresses. Not that she could imagine herself wearing all these clothes that Keiko bestowed upon her. Amaya was going along with it – this was the human experience, after all. And she was now more humanlike than she had ever expected to be. Her mind was craving things unfamiliar to her, obviously a need of the body's previous owner. She had favourites that she could not name. A sense of belonging that she could not pinpoint.

She needed to meditate. And informed Keiko of this abruptly, who reluctantly gave into Amaya's insistence to return home.

* * *

When they reached the apartment, Kurama was also present. Amaya greeted him curtly, to which he responded with his half polite smile, half smirk. Amaya immediately went to the balcony, seeking solace and a place to clear her mind after the exhausting outing. She immediately sat down and started breathing deeply and slowly, letting her mind drift to a serene and calm place...

"See?" Yusuke frowned towards the balcony, "She is so strange. She cannot interact well, how do you expect her to go to a workplace?" Kurama chuckled.

"Many humans are known for their eccentric and odd behaviour. She will simply be attributed with those qualities." He frowned. "How is this living arrangement working for you?"

Before Yusuke could tell him how he felt about the situation, Keiko interrupted, "Oh, it's lovely! She is such a pleasure to have around! Have you noticed how amazingly clean the place is since she moved in?"

"Yes, I did notice..." Kurama chuckled, recalling the state of decay the place was in. They were no doubt planning on abandoning this apartment for a clean one before Amaya showed up.

"I, uh, actually find the place to be a bit crammed–"

"What!" Keiko interrupted, "Don't be silly! It's perfectly fine! Besides, Amaya needs a woman's input at this stage, she is quite vulnerable and Kurama won't be able to offer her all the necessary input." She huffed.

"Hmmm, that is a fair point." Kurama was shocked at Yusuke's subdued response, so unlike his character. "Well, let me know if it gets a bit... 'crammed'. I do have a spare room after all." He looked pointedly towards Yusuke. "I suppose I have to head back to work, I can feel that I am close to a breakthrough. Will you let Amaya know that I will come pick her up tomorrow morning at seven thirty sharp – her paperwork has been approved."

"Oh , how exciting! Sure, I'll tell her when she's finished... See you later!"

"Goodbye," Kurama nodded.

"Bye." Yusuke said curtly and slumped down on the couch, switching on the TV.

* * *

Kurama handed Amaya a white lab coat. She took it absentmindedly, distracted by the happenings around her. There were dozens of people, but no one was talking or interacting. They all focused intently on what they were busy with, completely oblivious to the world around them. She honed in on what Kurama was saying.

"...and this is our working station. You will be my assistant, but don't worry, we shall ease you into the position. I expect you to run certain test for me if needs be, and help with my research and transcriptions. My main focus in on the human genome and evolution. Are you listening?"

Amaya's head turned towards him. "Yes, sorry. This is all just new and intriguing," she said, walking past him to his computer, pointing to the research evident on the screen. "I read this while you were asleep. I hope that you don't mind..." she drifted off, meeting his gaze with her piercing blue eyes. It took a moment for Kurama to catch his breath.

"Although that is a complete invasion of privacy, I suppose that it does give you a head start," he smiled politely and moved to stand next to her. "So tell me your interpretation."

Amaya started talking about what she thought, and they were in deep discussion for several hours, the work day drifting by.

* * *

The next few days was a haze of new and yet strangely familiar experiences for Amaya. In between her encounters at work, her walks alone in the streets of the city, her awkward encounters with Yusuke, and Keiko's bubbly observations, she was starting to settle in. She especially enjoyed her time with Kurama.

After finishing work this day, however, she was not met with the usual quiet home.

"YOU ARE SO INCONSI–" Keiko screamed.

"NO, I AM NOT, THIS IS MY HOUSE TOO! I ALSO HAVE A SAY IN IT!" Yusuke screamed over her.

Amaya closed the door, and they both turned their furious gazes upon her. She suddenly felt like she was imposing. And she realised this is what she had been feeling the past week.

Yusuke let out a deep breath, grabbed his jacket and set for the door. Amaya jumped out of his way. "I am outta here," he grumbled and left, slamming the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Keiko immediately sank down onto the couch and started sobbing. Amaya was completely baffled, not having been exposed to such intense emotions between a couple before. She put her bag in its designated spot and hung her coat in the cupboard. She cautiously ventured towards Keiko, who had subsequently started hiccupping in between sobs, and mumbling incoherent sentences.

"So...so...m–mean!" she finally managed.

Amaya sat down next to her, and Keiko immediately latched onto her, sobbing onto Amaya's neck. Amaya awkwardly put her arm around Keiko's shoulders, which seemed to set the girl off all over again. She just kind of went with it, until Keiko settled down and was breathing deeply. Amaya assisted Keiko into the bedroom and tucked her into bed, and she all too easily fell asleep, clearly emotionally drained.

* * *

It was past midnight when Yusuke returned. He saw Amaya and their eyes met, he let out a deep sigh. He discarded his jacket absentmindedly and ventured towards the fridge, gulping down milk straight from the bottle. Amaya eyed him cautiously.

"You don't have to look at me like that," he snapped.

She was at a loss for words. She went for the foolproof method. "I am sorry." She was not sure exactly for what. But it seemed like the appropriate thing to say.

Yusuke sighed again and put the milk on the counter, not in the fridge, Amaya noted with an internal cringe. He eyed her wearily as he moved towards her, sitting on the opposite side of the couch. His eyes briefly glimpsed down her body, then fixed on a spot behind her. She looked at him impassively, trying to gauge his mood. People seem to have a lot of moods here.

"I am sorry you had to witness that," he said finally, still not looking directly at her.

"Thank you," she replied cautiously. "But perhaps it's not to me that you should be apologising to."

He grunted and sat forward with his head in his hands. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes. Amaya broke the silence.

"I have asked Kurama if I can reside with him. I shall move in with him tomorrow after work," she said softly, reassuringly.

Yusuke visibly relaxed, but did not respond to her.

"Yusuke?" Keiko's small voice came from behind them. He immediately stood up and turned his body towards her, looking emotionally at her.

Wordlessly, they rushed to each other and hugged each other dramatically, whispering apologies in between kisses. They went to their bedroom and closed the door without even a backwards glance at Amaya.

Amaya sighed and settled in for what she thought would be a restful night after all this – unnecessary – drama. But she was startled by low grunting and moaning noises emitting from the bedroom. She sighed heavily and tried to distract herself, thinking of all the things she needs to do at work in the morning...


	8. Chapter 8

**Rose Amongst the Thorns**

_Chapter Eight_

It was a couple of days after Amaya's strange encounter with Yusuke and Keiko. She was settled into her new apartment with Kurama. Unlike the previous apartment, this was a penthouse that was sleek and modern. And clean. _Very_ clean. Suspiciously clean... Amaya eyed the spotless kitchen and walked towards the fridge, looking for something to eat, but finding nothing to her liking. She sensed a presence behind her.

"Can't find anything that piques your interest?" Kurama asked with an amused undertone to his serious voice.

"No," she replied simply, turning to face him and leaning against the now closed door of the fridge.

"I know of a nice restaurant if you are interested in joining me?" he asked, meeting her gaze, donning his usual polite smile.

Amaya has never been to a restaurant before. It sounded intriguing, something else that she could add to her list of first experiences, which have been occurring in abundances as of late.

"Sounds good," she said simply and headed for the door. She heard Kurama clear his throat, and she stopped and turned towards him.

"May I suggest you wear something a bit more suitable?" he inquired politely. She eyed him, with his button-up shirt and formal black pants, his arms casually crossing over his chest as he leaned against the kitchen counter. She saw the undeniable difference between his clothing and her (Yusuke's) saggy sweatpants and tank top. She met his gaze again and saw his flattering tongue-in-cheek expression on his face. Deciding to entertain his suggestion, she walked towards her bedroom and sought something 'more suitable'.

She decided on the 'little black dress' that Keiko had insisted on buying. It was surprisingly comfortable, considering that it was tight and required a lot less material usage required for the sweatpants alone. She put on her coat and shoes and met him in the hallway. He eyed her wearily, not being able to judge what combination of clothing could be occurring underneath the coat she was wearing.

They made their way down the passage in a comfortable silence. She looked at him intently as she walked behind him, observing his beautiful hands as he pressed the button for the elevator, and the way his muscles contracted underneath his shirt with his elegant and seemingly effortless movements. Suddenly she recalled the moaning and grunting she heard from a nearby bedroom not too long ago. She subdued herself mentally and got into the elevator with Kurama. And suddenly all she could smell was his scent all around her. She closed her eyes and involuntarily breathed in deeply. When she opened her eyes, Kurama was eyeing her with concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked earnestly. He looked at her eyes and his eyes widened slightly with surprise. "Your eyes...they look...different." He took a step closer and lifted her chin when she cast her eyes down. She looked into his eyes, deciding not to be demure at this stage. "Yes, they look silver..." he said, amazed. The elevator doors opened and both of them stood motionless for a while, looking at each other. His eyes glanced at her lips for a second, and he pulled away, stepping out of the elevator and breaking the trance. Her heart was racing as she followed him.

He dropped the incident in the elevator without mentioning anything, but seemed deep in thought as he sauntered besides her with his hands in his pockets.

"You don't speak much, do you?" he said softly, with that smile on his face. She looked at him for a few seconds.

"I speak when I have something of importance to say..." she replied matter-of-factly.

"So tell me about yourself," he said, catching her off-guard.

What a strange question, she thought. She looked at him, puzzled. "What can I tell you that you do not already know about me?" she asked with a frown on her face.

"Hmm, good point... Maybe, what you have enjoyed the most thus far about this place?" he said, vaguely gesturing around him.

She thought about it, "I have enjoyed the people the most so far. I enjoy observing them. They are so...complex. I struggle to understand them at times."

"Yes, I know what you mean," he agreed politely as they reached the restaurant. The waiter offered to take her coat and helped her out of it before disappearing to the cloak room. When she looked up she saw Kurama looking at her with an expression that she could not fathom. He realised she was looking at him and closed his mouth, clearing his throat, and diverted his attention back to the waiter who lead them to their table.

They settled into their seats, listening to the soft music in the background, and sipping on something foreign – wine? Repulsive. Kurama found her response amusing and told her that it's an acquired taste. He did most of the talking throughout the evening. She listened intently, not giving anything away. She watching his graceful movements and found herself staring at his lips, not fully understanding her response to him. She has never felt this way. Is this why people drink wine? She also struggled with the food, not being accustomed to food with such a variety of flavours. Time went by quickly and Amaya found herself feeling more relaxed towards the end of the evening.

She was feeling flushed during their walk home and did not bother putting on her coat again. She stumbled over uneven pavement and Kurama was immediately there, putting his arm around her shoulders and steadying her. Her mind felt foggy, but it was undeniable how she felt when she felt his hand cupping her shoulder, feeling his fingers against her skin. She glanced up at him and was sure that his expression mirrored hers, if only for a second before he smiled his usual polite smile at her. She put her arm around his waist and saw a flash of doubt cross his eyes as she pushed her body against his. They stopped in their tracks and looked at each other for a few seconds.

Amaya closed the small gap between their faces and placed her lips against his, not fully understanding her own actions. She melted against his body and felt him relax against her, groaning deep within his throat as he started kissing her slowly, gently placing his hand against the back of her head. Suddenly the atmosphere changed and he quickly pulled away, meeting her confused, hazy gaze.

"I had no idea wine would have this effect on you," he said softly as he put his hand on her cheek. "You're burning up," he chuckled softly and led them back to the building, seemingly unaffected by what has just passed between them.

Amaya was still catching her breath as she leaned her head against the mirror wall of the elevator while they swiftly moved up to the 22nd floor. She found the coolness of the glass comforting, but his scent was still all around her, making it hard for her to focus on anything else.

"Come, lets get you inside and in bed..." Kurama muttered mostly to himself as he nudged her out of the elevator and towards the apartment.

She collapsed on the floor. He was immediately at her side, helping her sit up, but she was completely limp and could not stand. She was burning up!

She vaguely remembers drifting in and out of consciousness, feeling Kurama carrying her and later hearing his unusually frantically voice speaking into the phone.

"I don't know what it could be! She just suddenly became flustered, and I thought it was the wine– ...yes, wine... It was nothing like that... _What? ..._Come to think of it, she was acting strangely before we left... _No._ You can't think it's that...is it?..."

She woke up later, it was still dark outside, but she was now in bed. She squirmed and started tearing at the dress she was wearing. _Just. Too. Warm._ Kurama was immediately at her side, helping her pull of the shredded dress and putting a cold cloth against her forehead and neck. He murmured soft words of comfort, but she couldn't pay attention. All she could focus on was the heat radiating through her body.

She started growling deep in her throat and sat up, startling Kurama. She lunged at him, knocking him down onto the floor and straddled him quickly. But he was quick and swiftly moved her onto her back, pinning her down to the floor. "Amaya, listen–" he started, but she frantically tried to squirm out of his release, and he let go of her when he noticed her discomfort. Only to be pinned down by her again, more firmly this time.

Suddenly her breath was knocked out of her as she was pinned to the wall. "Hn," the small fire demon, Hiei, grunted. He and Kurama quickly picked her up without a word or visual exchange. She was kicking and screaming as they were carrying her to the bathroom and then they suddenly dunked her into an ice cold tub of water. She immediately stopped her resistance and just enjoyed the relief of the cold water, drifting out of consciousness again.

* * *

"It's undeniable, Kurama," Yusuke said loudly. "It's such a relief, really, I mean, I was feeling all weird and stuff around her, but this make perfect sense now!" He realised too late what he said and looked at Keiko apologetically, who sniffed indifferently.

"Hn," was the sarcastic reply for Hiei, who looked painfully disinterested in Yusuke's confession. "It does explain all the strange occurrences that have taken place since we have come in contact with her."

"I just...I did not realise that I am able to find a mate more than once in my lifetime," he sounded unconvinced.

"Yeah, but you live for, like, ever, and it's been ages since Ingehai! It makes sense why this happened!" Keiko replied eagerly, clearly loving the idea of Amaya being Kurama's mate. With the threat of double dating looming dangerously close in the nearby future, Kurama shifts uncomfortably in his chair. Hiei smirks at his discomfort.

"I don't know how I feel about this..." he said hesitantly. "I...I can't," he said more firmly. "She will just have to go back to the Spirit World where we can at least contain her. The risk of her staying here is too big, she is just too volatile if she is ready to mate. And I have my work to focus on here, we are so close to a breakthrough, I can't drop it all now." He was clearly experiencing an inner turmoil, recalling his response to her earlier this evening, but overwhelmed by the sudden possibility of a mate looming over his head. No, he was definitely not ready.

"Hn," Hiei grunted in response to his thoughts, "She will return with me. Contain the threat," he said matter-of-factly, to which Keiko giggled. He glared at her.

"You don't have to make it sound like a threat against mankind!" she continued to giggle. Realising no one was laughing with her, she stopped and eyed them all wearily. "You guys need to lighten up," she said simply and walked to the bathroom, leaving them to their serious discussions.

She gently pushed open the bathroom door and looked at Amaya in the bath tub, still wearing her bra and panties, looking surprisingly peaceful. Amaya always seemed to have some inner turmoil raging inside her, guarding it protectively and not allowing anyone in. She came closer and eyed her carefully, not wanting to be caught off guard like Kurama was. She felt the water and was surprised that it was lukewarm, let some of the water run out and added more cold water. Oh, how she envied Amaya. She always felt like she needed to be part of this world, but was born as a human. She wished that it was her going through this, instead of Amaya, who was clearly oblivious to what was happening to her. Amaya wanted what Keiko had, Keiko wanted what Amaya had. She sighed heavily and sat on the toilet, deciding to keep Amaya company until the men decided what they wanted to do.


	9. Chapter 9

**Rose amongst the thorns**

_Chapter Nine_

Amaya opened her eyes and looked at the room around her. She was not in Kurama's apartment anymore. She got out of bed and looked out of the window, seeing the big lake she recognised instantly where she was. _Right back where I started._

Suddenly there was a thud and a figure in front of the window, and Amaya fell back on the floor with a start. She saw Hiei on the other side, smirking down at her as he opened the window and climbed from the tree through the window. She got up cautiously as she looked at him, standing over her with his hands crossed over his chest.

"Follow me," he said simply and walked out of the bedroom door. She listened to his fading footsteps and frowned. She steadied herself and followed him nonetheless, following the trail of his scent down the stairs, through the living area and kitchen, until she reached the clearing outside. He looked at her with a bored expression on his face, as if she was wasting his time. Very precious time.

"Hn," he said simply. Amaya made special efforts to pull together her mental shields. He easily managed to get inside her head...too easily. He smirked at her and walked towards her, circling her like a predator, and a shiver ran up her spine, sending goose bumps all over her flesh. He suddenly lashed out at her, sending her skidding over the grass and dirt. She growled at him and got up quickly, charging at him, but he easily moved out of the way, leaving her in a cloud of dust as she turned to face him angrily.

"You're weak," he grunted, "and slow." He chuckled menacingly. "All those years of training are wasted if you do not apply it to your new body." He casually clasped his hands behind his back and she saw the gap, charging at him once more, wanting to catch him off guard. She at least got a punch to his rock-hard stomach this time, but he quickly regained his composure and pinned her hands behind her back, pushing her to the ground with his knee digging into her back. "That's right," he murmured threateningly into her ear. He picked her up seemingly effortlessly and she stumbled forward. "Again!" he ordered. And that's what they did the remainder of the morning. Lashing out at each other, attempting to pin each other down. He succeeded mostly, but she didn't make it easy for him. And he was right: she needed to become accustomed to this body. She never realised how vulnerable she was until that moment.

* * *

Amaya enjoyed the solace this place offered. She no longer missed the human world after having had a taste of it. It was no place for her. But she knew that this was a temporary haven. She was not sure what her purpose would be. But she knew that she was supposed to be here for some reason.

She sighed heavily, trying to refocus her attention to meditation, but to no avail. She recalled her interaction with Hiei the evening before, after her training.

"What happened to me?" she asked bluntly, not knowing how to introduce the topic lightly. She stared at him, guarding her emotions carefully and looking for a hint of anything on his face. He remained reserved, not giving anything away.

He did not look at her, but continued to untie the bandages from his knuckles, which were stained with the dry blood from their efforts that day. He glimpsed at her from the corner of her eye. "You truly are ignorant," he said simply and turned to walk away from her.

She followed him nonetheless, her limbs carrying her, apparently having a mind of its own. He sped up and started running at his demon speed, and she followed suit, but soon could not see him anymore, as she was clearly no match for his speed. She was left standing in the middle of the forest, panting heavily, looking at the final rays of the sun peeking through the trees.

"_Amaya?"_ the voice snapped her out of her musings. She looked up at locked eyes with the blue-haired girl that she has been seeing more regularly since she returned from the human world. At least the girl did not convulse anymore every time she saw Amaya.

"Sorry to disturb you!" she said cheerily as Amaya looked at her impassively. "I am just letting you know that, you know, it's almost weekend, and Kurama is returning... Koenma asked me to talk to you." She sat down next to Amaya. _Finally, some answers,_ Amaya thought. "We did not realise how little you actually knew about being a demon and so forth, so I guess I will just start from scratch–"

"Tell me about what happened to me," Amaya demanded, holding herself back when she saw the girl's shocked expression at her gruff interruption. "...please," Amaya added more politely.

Botan cleared her throat, "Uh, well... All demons go through different...cycles. Keiko told me she spoke about, uh..." she received a nod from Amaya and continued, "Well, there are also mating cycles. And we believe that that's what has occurred, since it affected both Yusuke and Kurama, that's why we thought it would be safer to have you here. You were giving off some addictive pheromone aura," she giggled. Amaya wondered why they would place her with Hiei, who was also a male demon, and she frowned. Botan, seemingly picking up on her train of thought, added, "And Hiei, well, he has the mental capacity like no other and, well, clearly things have been fine," she said, while eyeing the gash above Amaya's eye. Hiei has no patience for gradually easing into anything. "It's just about riding out the storm," she added, eyeing Amaya curiously. Something occurred to Amaya.

"Has he been subduing my...urges?" she asked, looking Botan in the eye. Botan cleared her throat, "Well...I wouldn't put it past him. It may be a necessary precaution, Amaya," she smiled at her.

Amaya recalled how she would be writhing in her sleep at nights, which is clearly the only place where this mating cycle was able to express itself. She felt anger grow in the pit of her stomach, thinking about how easily Hiei can subdue her feelings and then still kick her butt physically.

"Thank you," she told Botan, feeling a sense of relief mixed with the anger. At least she now knew what this was. She was not stupid, this had occurred to her, but now she knew for sure. She stood up without another word and made her way inside the house, to the big passage of unnamed doors, and walked into the library. She immediately searched for the relevant books which would inform her about what to expect of this cycle. She also stumbled across a book about mental barriers, and letting out an irritated snort aimed at Hiei, she added this to her collection as well.

* * *

Amaya leaned against a tree, holding onto it and panting heavily, trying to catch her breath. She heard twigs cracking behind her and sensed that the familiar presence had caught up with her. Not even out of breath, she noted annoyingly. She composed herself and turned to face him, holding her chin high, breathing shakily through her nose.

He was in front of her in a flash and caught her by her throat, pinning her against the tree, "You disappoint me!" Hiei growled at her. She felt a rush of anger radiating through her body and dug her nails into his skin of his hands, kicking him so that he stumbled back a few feet. They began to circle each other, eyeing each other viciously. She lashed out at him first, kicking his stomach and landing a blow to his chin. He seemed unfazed and used the opportunity to punch her in the stomach, knocking out the little hair she had left in her lungs. She fell to her hands and knees in front of him, utterly depleted by this battle that has been going on for hours. He smirked when he saw she was surrendering and wiped the blood trickling down the side of his mouth on the bandages covering his knuckles. She felt an inner sense of pleasure, knowing that she made him bleed. He scowled at her.

"Hn," he grumbled and grabbed her hair, forcing her to sit on her knees and make eye contact with him. "You _lose_, yet I sense you feeling pleased with yourself." Amaya was transfixed by his eyes, burning bright red with...something. Anger?

Amaya suddenly felt angry. No matter how hard she tried, he was mentally and physically superior to her. She returned his glare and suddenly made a decision. She completely lowered her mental barriers. She was pleased to see shock flash in his fiery eyes as he gained access to her conscious. She conjured up images of her vivid dreams. Hiei's naked back. Her nails moving over his back and skin. Her teeth sinking into the flesh of his shoulders and neck. Her hands moving over his chest as she pressed her chest against his back, her hands travelling down his stomach, lower...

Hiei suddenly let go of her hair and shoved her back, putting space in between them as he gripped his head. She did not relent, and continued thinking of the dream last night, him pushing her down on the hard surface of the floor, pushing her down with his whole weight, kissing her hungrily and desperately as he pinned her hands above her head. His kisses and teeth trailing down her throat and chest, rough and hungry.

"Stop!" he demanded, and Amaya was taken aback by the vehemence in his voice. She had crawled back and was bracing her back against the tree, pulling her knees up to her chest and she secured her mental barriers once more.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" she hissed at him, "Always pushing and looking for gaps in my mind's defences."

He took a few menacing steps towards her, eyes flashing, and then he was gone in a flash, leaving Amaya alone in the dark forest, still catching her breath.

* * *

Amaya was limping to the house, utterly exhausted, but not giving in to her bodily aches and pains. She was relieved to see the lights in the distance and continued forward. She heard Botan in the kitchen, happily chatting away with Kurama, Yusuke and Keiko as she prepared food. Amaya grunted and met Kurama's eyes through the window. He clearly could not see her in the dark, but sensed something. She quickly made her way to the back of the house and climbed up the tree outside her window, entering through the window despite her sore muscles. She headed for the bathroom and took a long and warm shower, feeling much better afterwards. She dried herself gingerly, observing the new cuts and bruises from today's strenuous efforts. It's like she never gets a chance to catch up to a level she feels comfortable with, but is always being pushed over the edge as soon as she found her feet. She knew that she would heal quickly, overnight even, but it didn't make her feel any better. She knew that she shocked Hiei today, and was not looking forward to whatever punishment he had planned for her in the morning. She sighed, put on her pyjamas, ignoring her grumbling stomach as she settled into bed, not wanting to interact with the others. She drifted into a deep sleep, shutting out the rest of the world completely.

* * *

Amaya woke with a start, her heart racing and the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as she sensed immediate danger. She sat up on her elbows and gasped as she saw red eyes peering at her from the dark corner. Hiei pushed himself away from the wall and stepped into the light rays casted by the sun barely beginning to rise. His hands were fisted at his sides and his lips were set in a thin line. "Keep your thoughts to yourself!" he hissed through clenched teeth, and Amaya tried to comply through her foggy mind. "How do you do that?" he asked, clearly thinking she knew exactly what he spoke of.

A breath caught in her throat and she was unable to speak, or move, or think. She just looked at him. He let out a deep sigh and walked over to her, grabbing her chin, "Answer me!" he hissed softly. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and tried to pry his hand off of her face, but he did not budge. She put her hands on his chest, wanting to push him away, but he caught her hands and held it tightly, immobilising her with his glare and tight grasp.

"I...I don't know what you mean," she whispered and she saw him glance at her lips as she spoke. Suddenly she felt that familiar burning sensation radiating through her body. He sensed it too, and his grasp relaxed, obviously wanting to let her go and step away, but seemingly not being able to.

Suddenly she felt his lips against hers, and it was even better than the dreams. He pushed her hard into the bed and she gasped. "Quiet!" he whispered angrily and continued kissing her almost violently, unable to contain his need. He climbed on top of her and forced his way between her legs, not that Amaya was resisting. She fisted her hands in his hair and pulled hard, making him growl and biting her lip, kissing her even harder and more passionately.

She was lost. Lost in the sensation of him kissing her roughly, pinning her down and almost desperately shoving his hands underneath her shirt, moving his hands over her breast. Her lips were sore as he moved down her neck and started biting and kissing her there as he moved his hips, grinding himself against her. Amaya moaned again and she was met with his hand covering her mouth and he was taking laboured breaths, grinding his hips against hers, more urgency in his movements. Suddenly she felt his weight leave her for a second and she opened her eyes, only to gasp when he shoved his hand inside of her pyjama pants. His fingers touched her and she moaned loudly this time, and he tried to stifle his own moan as his fingers moved in between her wet lips. His other hand fisted in her hair and she moaned against his neck as he continued teasing and pleasuring her with his fingers that only a few hours ago caused her such immense pain.

Just as quickly as he was on top of her, he was off of her and out of the open window. She was dazed and confused, but heard a creaking noise outside the door and it opened slightly, Kurama peeking his head through. She quickly grabbed the blankets and pulled it over herself, all the way to her chin.

"Are you alright? I heard some noises..." he trailed off.

"I am alright, just...just cold..." Amaya replied quickly, hoping she is masking her anxiety. Kurama nodded and glanced at the open window, going to close the window firmly with a frown.

"Sorry, I won't disturb you any longer, it's still very early," he said apologetically and quietly made his way out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Amaya lay back in bed, letting out a deep breath. She almost expected Hiei to return just as quickly as he had left, but after a few minutes she turned on her side and drifted into a restless sleep, feeling very confused.


	10. Chapter 10

**Rose amongst the thorns**

_Chapter Ten_

Her whole life she strove to control her anger, she believed it solved nothing. But at this moment, she was not so sure. She was not going to succumb to Hiei's punishments. She felt such intense anger, she would die if she did not express this anger. The katana glinted in the sunlight and Amaya blocked it skilfully, but Hiei managed to knock it out of her hands. He didn't skip a beat and tossed his katana to the side as well, resorting to hand-to-hand combat, knowing that he outmatched Amaya in this. Clearly he did not want to make this easy for her, and she detested the way he smirked at her.

Katanas forgotten, they fought each other, punching and kicking and blocking for what seemed like forever. The crowd watching them in the clearing forgotten. Both Amaya and Hiei were breathless, sweat forming on their brows as neither of them was willing to back down. He finally managed to kick her leg, forcing her to lose her balance, and he was immediately on top of her, smirking down at her. She growled and wrapped her hands around his neck, chocking him, wanting to wipe that smirk off of his face. He immediately started chocking her as well, and now it was a contest of who would lose consciousness first. She was gasping for breath, as was he, but still neither of them willing to back down. They glared at each other, turning red in their faces.

There was suddenly a flurry of movement around them and then Hiei was forcefully pulled off of her. They both stared at each other, Amaya being held down by Yusuke and Hiei by Kurama. Both panting heavily, catching their breaths, still glaring at each other.

"Wow, that's fucking amazing, Amaya! I have never seen anyone take on Hiei like that! Good job!" Yusuke said excitedly, slapping her back for her efforts. She immediately filled with pride. She did not beat him, but she matched him, which was more than she has ever achieved before.

"That was quite...intense..." Kurama noted questioningly, eyeing Hiei who just grunted "Hn," then got up and left in a flash.

"Sore loser..." Yusuke laughed, and offered to help Amaya stand up. She ignored his outstretched hand, still too pumped up from the fight, got up and started walking towards the house, ignoring the others and their eager smiles on their faces.

"She is so weird..." Yusuke said as they watched her walking away, kicking the dirt as she went.

"I wonder what happened, something seems different," Kurama noted, turning towards Botan and eyeing her, hoping for an answer. Her eyes widened and she shrugged.

"I haven't noticed anything strange. I mean, they have been doing this every day for weeks, and she always loses, so you can imagine that must have build up. Hiei isn't exactly known for taking it easy," she laughed. They started towards the house. "But I think that she has learned a lot, she handled herself very well."

"No doubt," Kurama agreed, clasping his hands behind his back as they walked. He still sensed something different about them. He was questioning himself – why did it matter? He had decided he was not allowing anything to happen between them. It wouldn't be fair.

* * *

Amaya waited for sundown before she mustered up the strength to go looking for Hiei. She jumped out of the window, a bad habit, she admits, and set off to the forest. She followed his trail, which was not an easy task. He was too skilful at masking his scent and making himself invisible.

Rather, it was him who found her.

"What do you want?" he said casually, as he was leaning against a tree to her left, arms crossed over his chest, seemingly hiding in plain sight. She did not know how to respond...she just felt she needed to see him, and now that she did, she did not really know why.

He sensed her confusion and chuckled. "Back for more, are you?" he said sarcastically and pushed away from the tree, walking to stand right in front of her, meeting her eye to eye.

"N– no," she stammered, casting down her eyes. She sensed that his gaze had not shifted. He took a step closer, and she took one back, trapped against a tree. He put his hands on either sides of her, and deeply breathed in her scent. She heard a low growl in his throat, and she shivered in anticipation.

"Say it," he said in a low voice. A stern voice. When she did not respond, he fisted his hand in her hair and tilted her head up, forcing her to meet his gaze. She felt weak in her knees. She felt that feeling low in her stomach. She felt like she was under his spell. _What if he is doing this to me?_

Hiei saw something flash in her eyes, glowing silver in the moonlight. Then she pushed him away, forcefully. He stumbled back, not expecting such an attack when she was putty in his hand just a few seconds ago.

"Stop getting in my mind!" she shouted at him, and then she was gone in a flash, leaves rustling in her wake. He decided against following her, and retreated back to his solitary place, his mind racing with thoughts of what just happened. She thinks that he is controlling her? Does she not see that she is the one who holds the power?

* * *

It was past midnight and the house was quiet, no activity noted in the house. Amaya quietly made her way through the back door. She was unsettled by what just happened. Yes, she wanted to find him. But why? Was he forcing her to do these things? Because she does not understand.

She walked into the living room and noticed Kurama on the couch with his laptop beside him on the couch. He was holding papers limply in his hand, discarded onto his stomach as he slept in an awkward position. She observed him for a while.

He stirred in his sleep and opened his eyes, immediately sensing someone behind him. He turned his head and saw Amaya observing him, not being able to read her expression. She broke their eye contact and simply walked upstairs, not glancing back. He let out a breath he did not know he was holding when he heard her quietly shut her bedroom door.

_Intense,_ he thought. There was something about her...he could not quite put his finger on it... But it intrigued him. He cleared his throat and shoved those thoughts in the back of his mind, taking his laptop and continuing his work.

"Stop, stop!" Keiko shrieked with amusement as Yusuke chased her with a spatula they had just used to make scrambled eggs. He eventually caught her and held it threateningly close to her hair, before she squirmed out of his grasp and went to hide behind Kurama sitting at the kitchen counter. Yusuke did not give up that easily, and practically climbed over the table, messing up all of Kurama's paperwork, and chased her further into the house.

Kurama was not his usual, calm self and pinched his eyes closed with irritation. He shoved his chair back and stood up abruptly, gathering all his papers and stacking them neatly, packing away his work. Perhaps he needs to take a break.

As if on cue, Amaya stood next to him. He immediately tensed up, having not heard her entering the room. She has become just as sneaky as Hiei.

"I need your help," she said simply. He regained his composure and rubbed his face, taking a deep breath.

"Sure, I need the distraction. What can I help you with?" he asked, stretching his muscles, which were stiff from sitting and working non-stop.

"I... I need to improve my mental abilities. I think Hiei senses my next steps and that's why he wins so easily."

Kurama laughed, "Yes, that's one of his best tricks. But I would hardly say that what happened yesterday was easy for him. He really has been putting a lot of effort into training you."

"Can you help me?" she asked bluntly, clearly not caring much for his observations.

He cleared his throat and nodded his head. He led them outside, walking towards the lake. They slowly started circling the lake, Kurama's hands casually held behind his back, and they started talking. Talking about what she is able to do, what she wants to do. And he listened intently, his intrigue still growing.

* * *

Red eyes glared at the two of them walking around the lake. _What the hell_, he hissed mentally. Kurama _knew_ he had to keep his distance from her. And Hiei did _not_ like the thoughts he was sensing from Kurama.

With a flash he was next to them, catching them off guard. "...interestingly– ...Hiei!" Kurama said, surprised.

"It's time for practice." Hiei positioned himself between Amaya and Kurama, glowering at Kurama.

"Oh... sure, I was just helping Amaya with–"

"I do not need practice today," Amaya interrupted him. Without another word, Hiei picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, and with a flash, they were both gone, leaving Kurama standing by himself next to the peaceful lake.

He knew that Hiei was telling him to back off. And he did not like it one bit.

* * *

"Hn," Hiei grunted as he not too gently put her down on the ground. She glared at him as she got up and dusted off her clothes.

"That was unnecessary," she said calmly, but not really feeling it. He stalked towards her and grabbed her hands she held up defensively. He held her hands behind her back and started kissing her unexpectedly.

She stood motionless for a while, taken aback. Her resolve did not last long as she felt herself melting into him and kissing him back. His hands let go of hers and he moved it up her back, pushing her against his hard body. His hands moved into her hair and he held her in place as he kissed her with such need, she thought she would combust. He moved his lips down to her neck, allowing her to catch her breath. She held him tightly as he breathed heavily against her neck.

They stood like that for a while.

"Don't you see?" he said against her neck, "You're in my mind, too."

She did not understand... Then it dawned on her. She did know. She did not know what he was thinking. She just knew what he was feeling. It explains why she wakes up in the middle of the night, feeling anger. When she went looking for him in the forest, not knowing why. Needing him. And he found her.

He abruptly let her go and sat down on the lush grass next to a small pond and waterfall. "Sit," he said curtly. She sauntered over to him and sat opposite him. He looked at her, his eyes intense. "You must learn to control your urges," he said. Does this mean he does not want to be in her head anymore?

"I am going away on a mission," he explained. This was the most explanation he had ever given her, and she was shocked. "Close your eyes," he said. She did what she was told. "Resist me." And they spent the rest of the afternoon working on her skills.


End file.
